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Three family members of Tampa Bay Rays prospect Blake Bivens were killed in a triple homicide on Tuesday morning. Police believe the man responsible was Bivens’ brother in law, who was arrested hours later.
Bivens wife, his child, and his mother were all killed in Keeling, Virginia on Tuesday. Police were called to the scene when a neighbor called to report that they believed someone had been shot. The officer who responded to the call found a woman’s body in the driveway, when he entered the home he found another woman, and a one-year-old, both lifeless.
According to WSLS, Matthew Bernard, the brother of Bivens’ wife, was arrested shortly after he was found naked outside of a nearby church. Police chased him around naked while trying to hit him with a baton, and he even choked a groundskeeper.
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Bivens’ minor league double-header scheduled for today was canceled, with the opposing team sending their “deepest condolences and sympathies.”
The Tampa Bay Rays organization offered a statement.
“Earlier today we learned that Blake Bivens, a pitcher with our Double-A affiliate, the Montgomery Biscuits, suffered a terrible family tragedy in southern Virginia,” the Rays’ statement read. “Our hearts are broken for Blake. We are grieving with him and will support him any way we can. We ask that everyone respect the privacy of the Bivens family and the Biscuits family during this extremely difficult time.”
Bivens, who is 24-years-old, was selected by the Rays out of George Washington High School in Danville, Virginia, in the fourth round of the 2014 draft.
The right-handed pitcher has a 4-0 record and 3.95 ERA in 57 innings at Class AA Montgomery.
